At a Glance

Writing with all five senses makes for vivid, memorable language in poems, essays and memoirs. Take the plunge into the "five rivers," as poet Mary Oliver calls the senses. Examples, discussion, exercises and some laugh-out-loud wordplay for beginners and seasoned writers.

Small Group

Love to learn and explore in a small-group setting? These adventures offer small, personal experiences with groups of 10 to 24 participants.

Best of all, you'll ...

Learn about writing styles from a professional writer, and spend hours in the studio practicing the art of writing.

Enjoy evening entertainment as a group, including a covered bridges field trip, or take advantage of free studio time.

Be inspired by the picturesque and tranquil backdrop of the Appalachian foothills and four peaceful lakes, and explore the area’s historic covered bridges, a two-story log cabin and a one-room schoolhouse.

General Notes

Due to the nature of this program, listening devices are not available.

Afternoon: Class begins at 1:15 PM and continues until 4:30 p.m. Participants are given quiet time to write, then the participants share their writings (if they wish) with the group in a non-threatening, supportive atmosphere.

Evening: Open studio will begin at 6:30 PM. Participants continue to work on their writing.

DAY

4

Class/Entertainment

Ripley, WV

B,L,D

Cedar Lakes Conference Center

Breakfast: Breakfast will be served in Lakeview dining hall from 7:15 AM - 8:30 AM.

Morning: Class begins at 8:45 AM. A typical prompt: "Write about an everyday object-an item of clothing, a favorite tool, or a commonplace surrounding-that has some emotional significance for you." The instructor might illustrate this prompt by reading a poem such as Anita Skeen's "Linoleum" and a short essay of her own about her old bell bottom jeans.

Lunch: Lunch will be served in Lakeview dining hall from 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM.

Afternoon: Class begins at 1:15 PM and continues until 4:30 PM. As participants share their writing - most Road Scholars are eager to do so,the instructor concentrates on helping them improve their skills in an encouraging way: using their senses to make their writing more vivid, learning to identify weaknesses such as passive sentence construction and weak verbs, learning how to revise the writing to make it livelier and more readable.

Dinner: Dinner will be served in Lakeview dining hall from 5:00 PM - 6:00 PM.

Evening: Evening program will begin at 7:00 PM. Enjoy the antics of a local group of musicians, "The Zucchini Pickers". They are tasteless and prolific!

DAY

5

Class/Open Studio

Ripley, WV

B,L,D

Cedar Lakes Conference Center

Breakfast: Breakfast will be served in Lakeview dining hall from 7:15 AM - 8:30 AM.

Morning: Class begins at 8:45 AM. In addition to prompts that draw from participant's life experiences, the week also includes one or two "lighter" prompts, when the instructor feels the participants need a break. In the past participants have had lots of fun writing from the point of view of a mask, for instance, or writing a short-story in a very specific 120-word format: a 15-word sentence followed by a 14-word sentence, and so on, down to a single word. These "fun" exercises are not just for comic relief, however! The former is a wonderful intro to point-of-view discussions, and the latter a gentle way of exploring the differences between prose and poetry.

Lunch: Lunch will be served in Lakeview dining hall from 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM.

Afternoon: Class begins at 1:15 PM and continues until 4:30 p.m. The instructor does not give, or tolerate, harsh criticism in her workshops. She doesn't believe it's productive. She has found, over the years, that a gentle, encouraging atmosphere helps a class to bond in a way that participants can learn from each other as well as from the instructor. Participants continue writing and printing off their work to share on our walk through the classrooms at the end of the week.

Dinner: Banquet will be served in Lakeview dining hall from 5:30 PM - 6:30 PM.

Evening: At 6:30 PM we will do a walk through the class rooms to see what the participants accomplished during the week.

DAY

6

Class

Ripley, WV

B,L

Breakfast: Breakfast will be served in Lakeview dining hall from 7:15 AM - 8:30 AM.

Morning: Class will begin at 8:45 AM. and end at 11:30 AM. Participants will discuss their accomplishments they had during the week as they do an overview of the week's writing.

Lunch: Lunch will be served in Lakeview dining hall from 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM. The program ends after lunch.

Meals

15 Meals

5 Breakfasts

5 Lunches

5 Dinners

The following choices may be available when requested in advance: Low Fat, Vegetarian, Gluten Free, Low Salt

Lodging

Lodgings may differ by date. Select a date to see the lodgings specific to that date.

If you are interested in improving your writing abilities and are brave enough to step outside your comfort zone, then run -- don't walk -- to take a course with Colleen Anderson! She is a fantastic teacher and a kind and helpful critic. This course expanded my world in innumerable ways! And it was just plain fun!!!